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Period: 221 BCE to 207 BCE
13th Century China
Sung Tz’u, who is considered to be the “Founding Father of Forensic Science in China,” wrote this text to help bureaucrats of the Southern Sung Dynasty navigate the complex inquest process, provide instructions on how examine a corpse, and determine cause of death. -
Mathieu Orfila
In Orfila's time the primary type of poison in use was arsenic, but there were no reliable ways of testing for its presence. Orfila created new techniques and refined existing techniques in his first treatise. -
William Herschel
One of the first to advocate the use of fingerprinting in the identification of criminal suspects. While working for the Indian Civil Service, he began to use thumbprints on documents as a security measure to prevent the repudiation of signatures. -
Alphonse Bertillon
A French police officer and biometrics researcher who applied the anthropological technique of anthropometry to law enforcement creating an identification system based on physical measurements. Anthropometry was the first scientific system used by police to identify criminals. -
Henry Faulds
Henry Faulds was a Scottish doctor, missionary and scientist who is noted for the development of fingerprinting from burglary. -
Sir Arthur Coman Doyle
Published his first Sherlock Holmes story and considered the first CSI. He has wrote 4 novels and 56 short stories and popularized crime detection methods. -
Francis Galton
published finger prints and conducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and their classification. -
Hans Gross
Wrote the first paper describing the application of scientific principles to the field of criminal investigation. Also published criminal investigation. -
Karl Landsteiner
Discovered the ABO blood groups and later received Nobel Prize. -
Albert S. Osborn
Published Questioned Documents and Developed the fundamental principles of document examination -
Edmond Locard
Incorporated Gross principles within a workable crime lab and Became the founder and director of the Institute of Criminalistics at University of Lyons, France. -
Leone lattes
Developed a method for determining blood types from dried blood. -
August Vollmer
Established the First Crime Lab in the United States, Located in Los Angeles. -
Calvin Goddard
Developed a comparison microscope and first to compare bullets to see if fired from the same weapon.
